After being unimpressed by a Rogue Dead Guy Ale a couple years back, I had not bothered to try another Rogue offering, until now. This Shakespeare Stout will not emerge as one of my favorites, but it has at least convinced me to try other Rogue offerings in the future. After trying this brew, I was shocked to find that it contained oats. It just did not seem akin to other oatmeal-ish stouts (which I tend to like). The pour produced a strong, medium-to-dark shiny, foamy and persistent head. So far, so good. The smell struck me as predominantly coffee and not especially complex as stouts go. The taste seemed more like that of Irish dry stouts, like Guinness, sharp and heavy on the roasted barley, but absent was the rounded, slightly sweet and chewy richness from the oats. Things were better in the mouthfeel department, where the oats made an appearance to provide this stout with a good, creamy sensation and a pleasant, malty aftertaste. What lingers on the tongue, however, was a return to the coffee flavors. This was not a plus for me, since I am not a coffee drinker otherwise. There was more of a hops presence, which is to be expected with a brew that is described as an "American" stout. Don't drink this if you are seeking a more malty, rounded, English-style brew. For me, I did not dislike it, but I am not likely to seek it out in the near future. My tasting was an isolated experience; it would be interesting to taste this side-by-side with other micro-brew stouts.

Sure, it's expensive but this is one of the best, if not THE best, accessible stout on the market.

Pours near black with only dark brown highlights at the very edges if held in front of a bright light. tilt the glass sideways a bit to see the oily characteristic gained from the fine rolled oats.The robust chocolate malt isn't overdry or chalky, as a matter of fact, this beer is smooth and silky. It's chewy but it's very drinkable. Nothing is overpowering but the prominant flavors are chocolate and a slightly winey and hop infused coffee.

This is exceptional quality.my #2 dark accessible beer behind glbc edmund fitz porter.price is hefty but after first taste it's literally easy to swallow.Just take 100 bucks and bye about 15 bombers for the next couple of months as this isn't a serious session beer anyway.. it's too dam^ flavorful and chewy to session.

Pours a thick dark and black color that allows a small amount of light through it. A vigorous pour helped create a nice thick tan/brown head that has a good amount of lacing as you drink. The aroma is full of malt and the roasted barley. There is definite chocolate and a small amount of coffee in this stout too. The smell is a huge component of this beer. The taste is equally as good too.

The initial taste is full of the roasted malt and grain with some of the bittersweet or dark chocolate and cocoa coming in towards the end. I can pick up a few coffee undertones after a few sips too. The beer is damn smooth and creamy and has a small amount of carbonation going on. This stout has a light to medium body and very rich. I'd say this stout has such a high drinkability. A bomber of this would be easily be finished in a night's session by myself.

This beer poured an inky black with a single-finger dark tan head. The smell is deeply toasted malt with a strong sweet molasses and chocolate backbone with a bit of imperial stout-style coffee in there as well. The taste starts off with some milk chocolate that goes into some bittersweet chocolate and coffee flavor with a bit of a bitter bite that doesn't stick around long. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I had no problem drinking this beer, and I will most definitely be picking it up again sometime.

A - Black as night. As is typical of this type, the initial pour resulted in a tall head which receded pretty quickly and settled into nothing but lacing. Most of the lacing is at the top of the glass.

S - Smells like a Russian Imperial Stout to me, which is not a bad thing.

T - A little too bitter, but this is balanced out nicely by a slight sweetness and some smokiness. I'm getting a slight cocoa taste.

M - A bit thin and solvent-like, but not too bad. Slightly sticky on the lips.

D - This stout definitely tastes better cold than warm. As it warmed, it became almost too bitter. Still, a very enjoyable stout. I just need to drink it faster. :-)

Poured into a Guinness imperial pint glass. Beer is pitch black and forms a frothy, tan colored head. Nose is roasted malts, cocoa, and molasses. Taste is dominated by a roasted bitterness and unsweetened cocoa or dark chocolate. Well balanced and easy to drink. Appropriate carbonation with a medium to full body. Finish is dry with a touch of bitterness.

Appearance a very dark brown. Only hints of light shine through. very fickle two finger head. Good ammount of chocolate malt in the taste. The mouthfeel is a tiny bit watery but very relaxing to drink. I've had this before and I'll have it again. One of Rogue's strongest beers.

Shakespeare is a nice stout. Never been a big fan of his writing, but this is smooth, creamy, with a tang of hops and a jiggle of chocolate leaf in the back. IN YOUR FACE BIG BEERS! This is a nice, unabashedly regular old American Stout that's quite tasty, with some good deep malts to back up it's claims to greatness.

Pours nice thick dark brown, big mocha head with excellent retention. Smells rich, and some excellent aroma hoppage going on. Taste is super-smooth, very rich despite having the texture and viscosity of milk. Silky. Nice hop afterflavor helps part aside the deep dark malt. More chocolatey and hoppy than anything else. Can be a bit much to drink a lot of, but still quite excellent.

Pours black with a tan head. Very light aroma, but a touch of chocolate. Flavors of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt. Flavor is nice and rich with a great mouth feel. Feels velvety on the tongue. Very enjoyable overall. This is definitely one of my favorites!

Like most Rogue beers, I'd say that the taste outshines the nose. Strong coffee and expresso, with milky chocolate and a bitter and long finish. Usually Rogue beers to me stand out and are unique, but this is a very classic imperial stout to me, and well made.

Full bodied, and with a soft carbonation this is a milky, creamy stout. Good drinkability

22 oz bomber brown bottle obtained at Mckinnon's Meat Market. black in color with a 1/4 inch of dark beige head that sadly didn't last long. the scent of chocolate is there at first sniff, a little bit of oatyness. citrusy, earthy quality from the oats, nice chocolatey after taste from the chocolate malts. thick and smooth mouthfeel. one sip invites another in and it goes down smoother than one would think.

Appearance: Deep and dark black/brown. Pours with a thick brown head that quickly settles. Nice lacing.

Smell: Predominantly malt and caramel aromas, light hint of coffee

Taste: Very crisp with a sensual maltiness. Malts and barley remain on the pallet after swallowing. This beer has a very light hop flavor as well. The sweetness of this beer lingers long after swallowing.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth, remains on the pallet for a long time.

Drinkability: 6% ABV makes this a very easy going stout. My glass was gone before I knew it, even though I was attempting to take my time. A very nice example of an American Stout.

Poured a thick black with a two-finger tan head that left spider lacing all down glass. A woody, burnt malt smell with a mix of caramel, dark chocolate malt. Real smooth and creamy with a balance between sweet and dry. Pleasant mix of bitter chocolate with some roasted and possibly coffee malt. Minor hop bitterness on the very backend, although the malts do the talking. Low ABV makes this a possible session, but 1 bottle was filling for me.

A - A beautiful black body...no light getting through this one...brown head that eventually settles into a nice cap...laces down the entire glass

S - Notes of coffee, chocolate, and a few flowery hops

T - WOW...I feel like I'm reading a poem by the great Shakespeare...you are first met with the creamy yet bitter taste of milk and dark chocolate...next comes the roasted coffee beans full in flavor...finally you are left with the perfect bitterness from the hops

M - Medium to full bodied...rich and creamy

D - This beer isn't as heavy as you would expect... and with an ABV of 6% makes this beer very drinkable...Rogue hit the nail on the head with this one...what a great stout!